ABOUT THE ARTIST

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Shanthi Chandrasekar is a multimedia and multidisciplinary artist from Maryland who has an academic background in physics and psychology, and has been trained in the traditional Indian art forms of Kolam and Tanjore-style painting. While many of her works are influenced by her Indian heritage, her true inspiration comes from the mystery and majesty of the world around her; her muse lives where the scientific overlaps with the spiritual.  

Shanthi has won numerous awards for her works, including Independent Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council and Individual Artist Grants from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County as well as from the Maryland Traditions Folklife Apprenticeships twice to teach Kolam. Her artwork is in the DC Art Bank, Montgomery Public Art, Suburban Hospital, Inova Cancer Institutes and other collections. Shanthi has exhibited, presented her work, and participated in events at several galleries and institutions, including Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Gandhi Memorial Center, Katzen Arts Center at the American University, DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum in India, and the Smithsonian as well as at art fairs with LAMINAproject Gallery in New York City. She has shared Kolams to various audiences through presentations, workshops and exhibitions at various events and venues including the American Folklore Society, National Folklife Festival, Maryland Folklife and Traditions Festivals and the National Math Day.

As a Kennedy Center Culture Caucus member, Shanthi has presented events at The REACH and curated events that included a discussion on traditional art forms from around the world that included dots and lines, and also exhibited Kolam artwork and performed a live demonstration of Kolam drawing with her daughter Aishwariya Chandrasekar. She was invited as the Artisan in Residence by the National Museum of Asian Arts and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage for their partnership program in November 2023 to share Kolams by conducting a workshop, participating in a discussion and a live demonstration. Shanthi designed the Kolam concept for the 2021 Kolam Project that involved community participation from around the United States to install a 1,950-tile Kolam in Washington, DC. 

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ARTIST STATEMENT

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Ever since I can remember, curiosity has been my driving force, leading me to ask questions about everything around me. This has led to my constant exploration and experimentation of ideas and thoughts based on scientific and philosophical enquiry. Combining scientific facts and theories with my wild imagination has been fruitful in creating artwork that questions our known reality and seeking to learn more about the unknown.​​​

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